12 Days of Christmas: Holiday Ornament classes!

Late last month I taught a beading class at Bead It! Kaimuki and next week I'll be teaching one more closer to home in Kapolei. This time miniature snowflake ornaments - one of my favorite patterns that I make in different colors for friends and family each year. Made with Swarovski bicone crystals and matching seed beads, this one is quick to stitch and quite addicting. And the color possibilities are endless! I put up a small tree on my kitchen counter and add these and other beaded ornaments to it, but they're fun on full size trees as well.

12 Days of Christmas: Hallmark Ornaments

It's time for the 12 days of Christmas! OK, not so much for the readers, but for the author. I had fun with holiday posts last year so I'm bringing 'em back, starting with recent holiday activity! Every year I buy the Hallmark Keepsake Winnie the Pooh ornaments. I know, I know, I'm embarrassing myself here. I can't explain why I like them or why I continue to buy them even though they are ridiculously overpriced. But I do. I used to get them 50% off the day after Christmas, standing in line with others before the stores open, trying to get the good deals. Once I started making better money, I started "treating" myself to all of them as early as November - at full price. This has continued, even though I stopped working after baby #2 arrived. But in the last few years, that's pretty much all the mall shopping I do. And yes, it's all for me.

I dreamed a dream of monk seals...

Here's Cub relaxing at the pool in Poipu. He just woke up from a nap taken in my arms. While sleeping, we explored the adjacent beach a bit and took pictures of the monk seal. He missed it all, but one wonders what his subconscious picks up. Once awake (shown here) he pondered another round in the pool. We love hotel pools! And this resort didn't disappoint.

No Black Friday for me

I'm not shopping today, but I do need to get serious about gifts. I've got a bunch of things to make and need to start the production line. Might need to take a few extra minutes to get organized — earlier in the week, Cub got his hands on my beading workstation and upended my bead mat. The results are represented in this picture. The real scene wasn't so pretty. Lucky for me, most of the loose pieces were projected back on the table and not the floor and all needles (best that I can tell) are accounted for. Yet another reason to give thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May your day be full of friends, family, and good food and may your cornucopia be filled with high fiber snacks like apples and pears. Or at least that's the message I think they are telling preschoolers these days.

Quick weekend on Kauai

We're back home after two days/two nights in Poipu on Kauai. Quick but fun, and as always, left us asking, "Why aren't we staying longer?" and "When can we get back here?" We stayed at the fantastic Marriott property Waiohai Beach Club, adjacent to the public Poipu Beach. Monk seals frequent the area and hang out on the beach for hours, like this one here.

Nation prepares for pumpkin shortage?

Did you hear the news? On Thursday, the Libby's company alerted the public to a potential canned pumpkin shortage. Oh the horror! Flooding in the Midwest damaged the crops, and officials are worried there won't be enough for all the pies on Turkey Day. Upon hearing this I checked my cupboard...and cheered! I had a can left over from who knows when, and it's good until 2011. Whew. When folks 'round here hear talk of a shortage on anything, they hoard. Don't get me started about the rice "shortage" of '07. OK, go ahead, get me started. I found it hysterical. I saw one woman exiting the commissary with an entire shopping cart full of rice. Literally! It ended up there was less available to be shipped here for a few weeks and never a true shortage. But the store shelves emptied anyway.